It’s classic Kojima stuff, overexplaining every aspect of the story and even things that have no bearing on the plot at all. You can seek some of this out by calling your handlers and having optional chats, but there are at least three hours of cutscenes here by default. Still, like many of the other best games of the time, this is designed to be played and played, looking for better times and results, so you’ll be skipping them all by your second playthrough anyway, which is arguably when the game comes into its own — when you work toward those no-alerts, no kills runs.

I’d go so far as to call Odyssey RimWorld’s best and most essential expansion — it widens the scope of this already fantastic story generator to a truly planetary scale and even beyond.

I don’t know what more you could ask for from a Hades sequel. Everything that the first game did so well, Hades 2 does it even better, letting you enjoy the story and characters of this world on a more intimate level than before while the game’s combat, encounter, and level design feel more refined as you control the battlefield and slay Chronos’ minions by the hundreds. It all comes together to remind you that Hades and Hades 2 really are the ultimate roguelikes.

Every single criticism I had of Death Stranding has been addressed, allowing this sequel to show the full genius of Hideo Kojima’s vision. His favourite music, the recurring themes he explores, his famous friends, the tribute to Low Roar’s late frontman Ryan Karazija, the nods to his previous work, the post-COVID anxiety imbued into the story, and even the Kojima-made trailers leading up to release – playing Death Stranding 2 feels like making a personal connection with the man himself. He’s reaching out his hand from the other side and there’s little you can do but grasp it. You can feel the brush strokes, and now and then, that wink. A Hideo Kojima wink.

There may be dozens of indie metroidvania games released on Steam every month, but Hollow Knight: Silksong is the perfect reminder of why none of them ever got as big as this pair of games. Silksong pushes the genre to heights it has never known before, combining a fantastic aesthetic and narrative with extremely polished exploration and boss mechanics. While there are frustrations that can grate on you in those annoying moments, they quickly fade away when the game is viewed as a whole. It really does live up to the hype. I’d still like the next one in sooner than seven years though, Team Cherry.

Fortnite is better on Switch 2 than it’s ever been on a handheld device, and a night and day improvement over the original Switch version. It’s more than serviceable in both docked and handheld modes, and it’s almost certainly going to be my main way to play going forward.

Doom: The Dark Ages is yet another hit from a series that can’t seem to miss. It keeps the core of intense, fast-paced shooter gameplay, actively enhancing it with new mechanics that alter the moment-to-moment action while keeping the pulse-pounding feeling the same. Like Doom 2016 and Eternal, I’m left craving another hit already, but I’ll happily wait another five years for it if this is the result, unlike CoD’s exhausting annual release cycle.

From the cast’s detached, off-kilter performances – both in Japanese and the English dub – to the art, which contrasts beauty with horror, every aspect of Silent Hill f is calculated to enrich the story it tells. It trusts its audience completely, never spelling everything out in bold letters, allowing you to bring your own interpretation and making you feel like an active participant in the telling without resorting to dialogue trees with arbitrary choices and consequences. This is Hinako’s story, but just like the village gossips, in one final violation of her autonomy, everyone will have their own opinion on how it ends.

If you are a fighting game fan, have friends who are fighting game fans, or just want a deep dive into one of the best parts of fighting game history, then Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a clear winner. It’s worth buying even if you ignore the underwhelming curio that is Capcom Fighting Evolution, which I completely neglected to mention here. There are at least three distinct games here that different audiences will return to time after time for multiplayer sessions, and everything else is just a bonus. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a firm reminder that Capcom and SNK have developed some of the best fighting games of all time, and with this compilation, you don’t even need to be an old-head to know it’s true.

This is one of the most inventive, exciting multiplayer games in years — a proper remedy for all the copycat hero shooters we’ve had to contend with. It might look like one of those at a glance, but Wildgate is something else, an experience we haven’t had before. Get three mates, choose a ship, and head out into the rift for the most fun you can have online right now. If Wildgate's post-launch plans come to fruition, it's only going to get better.

In an era where Sony insists on remastering games that feel like they’ve just come out, to see something almost 20 years old brought into the modern era is a joy that has clearly won back fans who were drifting away after Starfield. If Bethesda feels like printing money, then it needs to move similar remasters of Fallout New Vegas and Morrowind up the agenda.

A deeply complex and satisfying tactics game, Mechabellum is essentially the result of a steamy night involving StarCraft, Armored Core, and chess and it will completely consume the life of any mecha-loving masochist dipping their toes into it — it’s the current apex of auto-battlers.

It may not revolutionize VR game design like Half-Life: Alyx, but Batman: Arkham Shadow is a great example of what the platform can be with a triple-A budget. All of the key mechanics that make the Arkham series what it is are translated brilliantly to this new format, leading to a game that fits right in with what came before while still feeling like a bold step forward.

Street Fighter 6 is the most popular fighting game of the generation, seeing almost seven times the entrants of the next most popular title at EVO Japan 2025. It supports an aggressive playstyle and in its first two seasons has introduced characters that feel more bold and daring than anything we saw in Street Fighter V until its final days. It is, undoubtedly, the best fighting game to play in 2025, and it’s shockingly good on Nintendo Switch 2.

Ten years on, Xenoblade Chronicles X is finally a complete game with the Definitive Edition, and it’s still one of the most bafflingly ambitious games I’ve ever played. It attempts and succeeds with so much, even if not every aspect is on par with the majesty of Mira. It can be slow and tedious at times, but even after more than 90 hours, a part of me didn’t want the adventure to end. We don’t know what’s next for Monolith Soft, but after this I’d be overjoyed to see more from Elma, Lin, and everyone in New Los Angeles.

While having fewer shiny additions to greet you with immediately on the faction-building screen than previous DLCs, Age of Wonders 4: Giant Kings is exactly the type of expansion I’ve been patiently waiting for. We can finally unleash all those handcrafted power fantasies on a world that has the flavor and style to match our creations.

Still, the fact remains, I’ve never had this much fun with a kart racer not named Mario Kart; Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is finally a high-quality alternative to the series that understands how to make going fast fun in a variety of ways. I like Mario Kart World a lot, but it has its fair share of detractors, and those people will be thrilled with what CrossWorlds has to offer.

Mario Kart World is a genuinely fantastic package, though it still feels as if it falls short of some of its open-world racing contemporaries. The open-world design isn’t being made the most of here, but the tracks are still fantastic and Knockout Tour is one of Mario Kart’s best-ever multiplayer modes. If you’re getting a Nintendo Switch 2, you need Mario Kart World.

Ghost of Yotei proves that most games deserve a sequel. The bones were there with Tsushima, but Sucker Punch has improved every area that was lacking. All the characters have depth and personality, including the villains, climbing feels better, missions are more varied and have worthwhile stories, it explores the indigenous Ainu people, their traditions and customs, and the impact Japan’s wars had on them, and the performances from the cast are excellent in Japanese and English (Erika Ishii oozes cool, and I’d go as far as to say this is Noshir Dalal’s best performance ever). Yotei is a massive step up and easily Sucker Punch’s best game yet.

Baby Steps is simultaneously brilliant and genius while being one of the most immature games in existence. It shouldn't be missed.

It’s a little messy and definitely has a few missed opportunities, but the core gameplay is so much fun that I couldn’t put it down. It captures the thrill of exploration that made Odyssey so compelling while taking the gameplay mechanics in a completely unique direction that kept developing in ways I didn’t see coming, and that’s exactly why I love Nintendo’s fun-first approach to design so much. If you’ve been waiting for a reason to buy a Switch 2, it’s just arrived.

From its philosophical musings to its management and exploration, The Alters pulls you in from the opening and refuses to let go. It has the same quality of a good strategy game where real life hours get sucked away as you tick off tasks and work towards goals, but it’s even more engaging because you want the answers to all of its mysteries, too. Minus some iffy technical performance – frames drop in certain areas, and there’s some strange flickering around character models occasionally – it’s brilliantly executed, completely original, and just the right level of stressful.

Despite a few annoyances, the key areas where Pokémon Legends: Z-A experiments are a big success. The new battle system is great fun and makes for a unique challenge compared to what the series normally offers. While I think there are still steps to take to strike a better balance between that system and the catching mechanics from Arceus, I’m just thrilled to see Pokémon be a franchise willing to take risks again. I can’t wait to see what fresh idea the team at Game Freak tries next, as so far, it’s two-for-two in terms of Legends successes.

Drop Duchy brings together city-building, tactical combat, and Tetris under a roguelite mantle and fits it together so neatly that you can’t see any seams. It’s one of those perfectly polished little gems that know what they want to be and do.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is more Elden Ring, but it also isn’t. It’s a brave new multiplayer experiment, and a bold recycling of older assets, to mixed results. Parts of Nightreign will likely define your fondest gaming moments of 2025, while the frustration caused by others might haunt your dreams. Nightreign’s budget price indicates that this isn’t the next big FromSoftware Souls experience, but it is something incredibly special. If you’re a FromSoft fan that wants an interesting co-op experience with no Ultra Instinct Comet Azurs, Elden Ring: Nightreign shouldn’t be missed.

Brushes with Death isn’t the best part of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, but it’s a firm reminder of why we should still be talking about the game when we decide on the best of 2025.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma stands as one of the better life-sims out there, striking a good balance between the village, its people, and the outside world you can explore. The town-building elements make it really feel like you’re regrowing these places into prosperous societies, and it’s a lot of fun getting to know all of the colourful personalities that reside there. Combine that with simpler farming and a solid main narrative, and you have the perfect place for Rune Factory newcomers to start.

Sonic gives me hope that my 34th year will be my best year too, and Sonic X Shadow Generations feels like a great way to send off the old era of Sonic while welcoming a new one.